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SOROTI: Concerned residents of Soroti city have appealed to the office of the president to intervene by transferring and probably arresting some of the employees of Soroti city council for alleged and possible corruption.
Resident say the worst departments in the city are physical planning units, city clerks office and the city land board whom they claim they have been conniving with rich people to double sale people’s land and plot in the city without following the rightful procedures.
These cite about 8 incidents where the office of the city clerk, physical planer and land board should be answerable after illegally selling off the golf club land, issuing land title to the ministry of justice, IGG,DPP, Uganda Human rights and for the land that the community had earmarked for the health centre but the community leased it to a one Samuel Eneku to operate there his professional washing bay.
Another incident the community has raised is the illegal sale of the current place being used as bus park.
Mr.Joseph Odeke one of the anti corruption monitors in Soroti warned that some officials are likely to be lynched by the community should the ministry of land and president’s office fail to intervene and disconnect the racket of thieves in Soroti city.
“These people are mafias, how I wish the president could have come and hold Barraza meetings with Soroti residents, he would get to know how corrupt his officers are”-Odeke appealed.
Sarah Pedun another resident says the same officials have been messing up the management of the main Soroti market where by they allocate the lockups to themselves and those loaded with money.
“We thank our city woman member of parliament Ms Joan Alobo who brought the minister of local government Mr.Rapheal Magyezi and discovered the rot in Soroti main market, how I wish the minister of land also does the same”-said Pedum
This publication has obtained about three letters issued by Mr. Daniel Christopher Kawesi to the chief government valuer. The first letter of Mr.Kawesi was dated on 15th of August this year, where he requested Mr. Tonny Kato Magembe the government chief valuer to ascertain the proper value of the land before they sublease it for recreational activities.
“In order to sublease with the developers, its necessary that the council establishes the right value of the land so as to levy the appropriate ground rent and premium respectively,” he said in his letter.
He added that ” The purpose of this letter is to request your office to undertake a valuation of land on plot 10-12 along Kennedy square to guide further decision to that effect”.
This website also learnt that the many letters that city town clerk wrote to the chief government valuer was after Soroti city council on August 9th resolved that the contested Soroti golf club land be leased to Mr.David Calvin Echodu, a private developer, however the trustees of the land who have the land title and sub leased running for 99years rejected the move.
This publication obtained another letter dated 5th where the government chief valuer Mr Magembe declined to grant a request by the town council authorities calling for the valuation of another piece of land comprised on Hamidas and Jumbhai roads where cricket and tennis court are based.
Ultimate news also has the third letter dated on 17th of April where Mr.Daniel Christopher Kawesi had written again requesting the government chief valuer to value the land and properties on Hamidas and Jumbhai roads to enable change of ownership from the lease hold to freehold, however Mr.Magembe the chief governmnet valuer upon realizing the irregularity in the process declined the move too.
With all this mess the community has called upon the ministry of local government to see where to put the Soroti city town clerk before they embarrass him.
In related developments, the Mayor of Soroti City East Division Mr.Paul Omer has also written the letter to the executive director of national physical planning board requesting the board to stay of change of the user close on open space.
In his 17th August letter, Mr.Omer said ” I draw to your attention to the above, having known that the officials of Soroti City, the town clerk Mr Christopher Daniel Kawesi, Mayor Mr.Joshua Edogu and Mr. Samuel Otati Peace moved to Kampala on 16th of August 2023, after being referred back on the first appearance either to put the documents in order which is stealthily being done without following any due process but only to interest on conspiracy to have the process not exposed. These means that no consultation are being done.
Its therefore my prayer, having learnt also when the National physical planning board again put theory conditions on the change of the user close on the cricket ground along school road yet no condition was fulfilled to date,” the letter reads partly.
Several attempts to get a comment from Mr.Daniel Christopher Kawesi were futile as he kept on putting his phone user busy.
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